Description: Play Spot the Influences in these early compositional efforts by the young Stanford: Mendelssohn and Sterndale Bennett in the 7-minute overture from 1870 (and it would be nice to hear some of the latter’s short overtures); Bennett again in the delicate orchestration of the piano concerto from the beginning of 1873 with a dose of John Field as well in a modestly-sized 25-minute work. Then, just over two years later Stanford breaks out with a big, echt-Romantic violin concerto of 37-minutes with touches of Beethoven and Mendelssohn allied with a Schumannian ebullience and richness of orchestration (think Rhenish symphony). Sergey Levitin (violin), Leon McCawley (piano), Royal Northern Sinfonia; Martin Yates.